Means for cleaning conveyer chains



Oct. 18, 1932. w, D 1,883,223

MEANS FOR CLEANING CONVEYER CHAINS Filed Dec. 23. 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 1 35171711 fllre. 77607,

Oct. 18, 1932. I H, w WOOD 1,883,223

MEANS .FOR CLEANING CONVEYER CHAINS Filed Dec. 23, 1930 3 Sheds-Sheet 2 H. A. w. WOOD 1,883,223

MEANS FOR CLEANING CONVEYER CHAINS Filed Dec. 25, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct. 18, 1932.

1'15 causes the chains to pick up ink.

Patented Oct. 18, 1932 UNITED STATES HENRY A. WISE WOOD, OF'NEW YORK,

N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO WOOD NEWSPAPER MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N.VY., A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA MEANS FOR CLEANING CONVEYER CHAINS Application filed December 23, 1930. Serial No. 504,229.

It is very seldom that the mailing room of a newspaper oflice is placed on the same floor as the delivery of the printing presses or near it. Some newspapers use fly boys for transporting the papers from the delivery to the mailing room but modern equipped newspaper plants, and especially the large newspapers, carry their papers from the delivery of the printing press to the mailing room byconveyers. These conveyers consist of a number of spring-like chains which carry the papers pressed between them. Since these are endless chains the constant pressing of them against the freshly printed pages This ink from the conveyer chains causes a smudge on the subsequent papers and it is especially undesirable because this smudge appears on the front page of the paper. It is the object of 2-.- this invention to provide a device for efle'ctively cleaning these conveyer chains so that at all times they may be pressed against freshly printed papers without leaving any tell-tale marks.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of a section of a conveyer for use in transferring newspapers from one room or location to another;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same, partially diagrammatic, showing the relation of the conveyer to the delivery belts, both these 5 viewsillustratinf the position of the cleanin device according to this invention;

Fig. 3 is a plan of a preferred form of 1 cleaning device for this purpose;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the same as indicated by the direction of the arrow L in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an end View as indicated by the arrow 5 in Fig. 3; r

Fig. 6 is a plan showing a modified means 4:5 for driving the cleaning mechanism, and

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing a form of the invention in which most of the brushes serve two conveyer chains each.

This invention is shown as applied to the type of conveyer for inserting the folded newspapers from the delivery belts 10 of a folder in which the conveyer consists of two series of endless chains of a'well known construction in which they are formed of coiled vire. In this case the newspapers are deand their outer or return strands come down at the outside as indicated by the downwardly pointing arrows. The cleaning devices are located on these return strands preferably.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5 the cleaning devices are shown more fully. The power for each one of the cleaning devices is applied to them through a sprocket wheel 17 for each one mounted on a shaft 18. This shaft is geared to a shaft 19 by a pair of spur gears 20 so these two shafts l8 and 19 rotate in opposite directions. On each ofthese shafts are bevel gears 21 meshing with bevel gears at the bottom of a series of vertical spindles 22. On each of these spindles is fixed a cylindrical bristle brush 23.

It will be seen that, in the form shown in these three figures, two adjacent brushes, operated by the shafts l8 and 19, are substantially tangent and rotate in opposite directions. Consequently they engage a conveyer strand 13 or 14. between them and thoroughly remove any ink or other material which may have been taken up by it in pass- 1 ing over freshly printed newspapers.

The motion of the brush bristles at the points where they engage the chains is transverse to the travel of the chains and both in the same direction. This makes the brushes efficacious in cleaning the spiral like construction of the chains.

In Fig. 6 power is brought in through a sprocket. 25, as in the other case, on a shaft 26. On this shaft is a bevel gear 27 meshing with a bevel gear 28. This latter bevel gear is located on a shaft 29 which carries a sprocket 30. A chain 31 passes around this latter sprocket and weaves around a series of sprockets 32 in front of one and back of he next one throughout the series. These sprockets 32 are mounted on spindles which carry the same brushes as before and these brushes are caused torotate in the same way as in the first five figures.

In Fig. 7 the drive is shown diametrically, providing the same feature of opposite rotation for thorough cleaning of the chains. In this case each brush 33 is large enough to contact with two of the chains 13 or 14 eX- cept, of course, those at the ends of the series. In this way the cleaning is accomplished with fewer sets of rotating brushes.

In all the forms of the invention shown, a simple and effective device is provided for removing any foreign matter that maybe lodged on the chains so that it will not smudge the subsequent papers. In this way the smudge on the front pages of the newspapers from the ink taken up by the chains from previously carried fresh printed papers is avoided.

Although I have illustrated and described only three forms of the invention I am aware of the fact that other modifications can be fore I do not wish to be limited in this respect but what I do claim is 1. The combination with a traveling conveyer for delivering newspapers from the press delivery, of movable means located in position to operate on the inner side of the return strand of the conveyer for removing particles of foreigninatter adhering thereto.

2. The combinationwith the delivery from a folder of a printing plant and a pair of conveyors having their outwardly moving strands substantially in contact with each other for receiving papers from the delivery and forwarding them, of means located to engage the return strands of the two conveyors and mechanically remove foreign matter therefrom to prevent the-smudging of papers subsequently transferred by the conveyers.

3. The combination with two series of spring-like chains arranged in substantlal.

contactand moving in the same direction, of

pairs of brushes engaging the opposite sides" bf the return strands of each of said conveyers for removing printing nk therefrom. l. The combination with conveyers for moving newspapers, comprising spring-like 5. In a device for cleaning conveyers, the combination of a pair of brushes located substantially tangent to each other and rotatable on axes parallel to a strand of the conveyer so that the bristles pass across the strand transversely and engage substantially the entire area of the strand and means for rotating the said brushes in opposite directions so that they will brush material from the strands in the same direction transverse to the strands.

6. In a cleaning device for the purpose described, the combination of two parallel shafts connected to rotate in opposite directions, a plurality of spindles arranged in two series transverse to the plane of said shafts and geared to the shafts to rotate in opposite directions, said brushes being of cylindrical form and substantially tangent to each other.

7. In a cleaning device for a conveyer, the combination of two series of brushes, each one of each series being substantially tangent to one of the brushes of the other series, each brush having a sprocket wheel for rotating it, and a chain passing around the various sprocket Wheels and on. opposite sides of each alternate two adjacent sprocket wheels, whereby the bristles of the brushes at the points atowhich a pair of brushes come closest together will move in the same direction.

8. In a cleaning device for the purpose describechthe combination of two series of brushes "arranged. in staggered relationship, each brush, except the end ones, being substantially tangent to the two brushes of the other series, and means for rotating said brushes in such direction that an article to be cleaned passing between two adjacent brushes of different series will be operated on by said two brushes moving at their surfaces in the same direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

HENRY A. WISE WOOD. 

